Born to tell tales: Betty Foust has gift of gab

Really good ones have a plot, characters, some action, a bit of conversation, intrigue and a message.

A storyteller conveys the tale in ways which keep you on the edge of your seat — or laughing so hard your sides hurt — or makes real tears run down your cheeks. A great storyteller pulls you into the story. You meet the characters, feel the setting and often get a tingle down your spine. You’re right there inside the story.

Betty Foust is such a storyteller.

She starts with “my father, Lynn, and his brother, Jack were partners in crime …”

Already, you know the characters. You know there will be some action and she’s gotten your attention and starts reeling you in.

And you never know it.

“A man said he would pay anyone $50 if they spent a full night at Devil’s Tramping Ground,” she says.

Yes, a dose of mystery, intrigue and some fear.

The words seem to slip from her lips so easily as she sets the stage. It’s in the 1930s and her father and uncle are game to see if they can tempt fate.

You feel their hesitation. You feel the cool night against their skin. It’s almost like you feel the crackling thunder and the electrical jolt of lightning. Yes, they’re part of the story, too.

The Devil’s Tramping Ground is a bare spot in the woods near Siler City. Nothing has ever grown there. Folklore has it that the devil is there. So it’s no wonder that Lynn and Jack were hesitant to prove they could spend the night.

“Did you hear that noise?” said Jack. It was thunder.

“What’s that falling from the sky?” It wasn’t rain.

Adventurous Jack wanted to stay. Lynn wasn’t that brave.

Oh, Betty has her audience right where she wants them — poised — ready to run.

Unexpectedly, she throws an unexpected zinger to end the story.

The devil was throwing rocks at them!

Betty is quite a character. She’s married to business owner, Clyde Foust, who operates a camera shop on Sunset Avenue in downtown Asheboro.

She recounts that when Clyde asked her to marry him, he wanted to live in Asheboro. She said no, that she wanted to continue living in Greensboro.

“Try it for three years,” he said. “If you don’t like it, we’ll move back to Greensboro.” She reluctantly agreed.

So after the first three years Clyde revisited the discussion. No, she didn’t like Asheboro. But he convinced her to give it three more years.

She smiles when she admits she has called Asheboro home for 49 years.

Like her husband, who captures history on film and a digital memory card, she believes in securing family history by sharing it with the next generations. She doesn’t want family stories to be lost.

She’s been using her gift of gab at family reunions, meetings, conventions and retreats for the past 20 years and to school classes for the past 10.

She appears before groups across the Carolinas and has performed in Las Vegas; Bradford, Connecticut; Charleston, South Carolina; and in northern Virginia.

She has around 50 tales, which fall into four categories: “Ancestors,” “If Dolls Could Talk,” “Let My People Know” and “The Many Faces of Tales.” She talks with members of her audience before she performs to determine which stories she will share.

She reserves sacred and Hebrew tales for church groups.

But, in total, she has hundreds of yarns she has collected from family members all her life.

When she was a little girl in the 1950s, she recalls few people had money for entertainment. Few had televisions. If they did, they would put them in the window so people could sit outside and watch. She was living in Greensboro at the time. She remembers Mr. Sykes and Uncle Pete would come calling to her house, and others, around suppertime. They would spin a tale in exchange for a meal.

She remembers they were single, either batchelors or widowers, who had no family. “We had a real sense of community back then and my mother was a great cook. After supper, we would gather around the fireplace and tell stories. Sometimes Mr. Sykes or Uncle Pete would spend the night. You don’t find that anymore,” she says.

Betty had an ear for picking up and remembering stories — and telling them.

Storyteller Jackie Torrence also played a part in Betty’s evolution.

Torrence, with her big eyes and dramatic facial expressions, hailed from Salisbury and appeared on CBS’ “Sunday Morning with Charles Kuralt,” “Late Night with David Letterman,” and more. Torrence was even asked to consult with Steven Spielberg’s Dream Works team and Disney to help them improve how they tell a story. She has performed across the country. Her style and messages resonated with Betty.

“Stories should have a message, history and a moral lesson,” Betty explains.

One of her favorites is called “Roach and Rooster.” The rooster wants to plant a garden. The roach has other ideas. It’s a tale with many layers.

Betty says, as she tells the tale, she enjoys seeing a light bulb go off with members of the audience.

“You can tell who is listening,” she grins.

Most of her stories go over well with audiences whose members are 30 years or older. They have more understanding of how to use their imagination and are not relegated to an iPad or iPhone.

“I don’t just provide entertainment,” the storyteller says. “I want you as a part of my audience to learn something, other than just laugh.”